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FSC 116
|debut = None|return = None|withdraw = |pre = FSC #115|nex = FSC #117}} We are hosted in Norway for the 8th time, this time in the city of Lillehammer, which also hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics. This follows the victory of Norway in FSC 115 with Ina Wroldsen performing 'Mother'. The number of participants slightly decreases to 39, with Israel being the only withdrawal. After the results were announced, Canada emerged as the winner for the second time this year, with a massive score of 174 points. Morocco followed in second place and the United States in third. The Host City The host city for this FSC #116-edition is Lillehammer, the host of the 1994 Winter Olympics. The town is situated in Oppland county at the northern end of the lake Mjøsa some 180 kms north of the capital Oslo. It is surrounded by mountains, and marks the start of the river Lågen (short for Gudbrandsdalslågen) which runs northwards many miles, and the Gudbrandsdal valley. Lillehammer is the administrative center of the region. The population of the town is ca 27.000 at present. The city centre is a late 19th -century concentration of wooden houses, which enjoys a picturesque location. The municipality (originally the parish) was named after the Norse Hamarr ''farm, since the first church was built there. The name is identical with the word ''hamarr (rocky hill). Lillehammer, with its perfect winter-terrain around the town, has long been known as an excellent venue for winter sports events, especially cross-country skiing and ski-jumping, but also biathlon slalom/down-hill skiing (Hafjell/Kvitfjell). Besides hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics, Lillehammer also hosted the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics. In addition to the Olympic site, Lillehammer offers a number of other tourist attractions . Perhaps most famous is Maihaugen, centrally located in Lillehammer. It is the largest open-air museum in Norway , with 185 buildings, mostly from Lillehammer and Gudbrandsdalen valley. Another place to visit if in the area is the very beautiful Garmo stavkirke church (built around 1200-1250). Other attractions: Lillehammer Art Museum, Hafjell Ski resort, Kvitfjell Ski resort, Sjusjøen Ski area, the steamboat Skibladner (the world’s oldest running padle steamer, launched in 1856, runs between the towns around Mjøsa) , Storgata (main street), and the rock carvings at Drotten, Fåberg. The other main sports-attraction in Lillehammer is ice-hockey with the local team playing in division 1. The Venue The host evnue for FSC #116 October 2018 is the Håkons Hall in Lillehammer, Norway. Named for its Birkebeiner-history and the King-to-be Håkon Håkonsson, it is a multi-function arena, built for the 1994 Winter Olympics, located at Stampesletta just above the town centre. With a spectator capacity of 11.500 people it is the largest handball- and ice hockey venue in Norway. Håkons Hall is regularly used for sports events (among other things it hosted the World Championship ice hockey event in 1999 and the 2010 European Women’s Handball Championship) but also for music concerts, exhibitions, conferences and banquets. The venue is owned by Lillehammer Municipality via the subsidiary Lillehammer Olympiapark which own all Olympic venues in Lillehammer. The Niorwegian Olympic Museum is located in the arena which is located next to a smaller Kristins Hall venue. The structure of Håkons Hall is dug out of the ground so it does not appear monumental in size from the outside. The roof consists of 4 sections held up by double trussed beams in glued laminated timber with lengths up to 85.4 meters. The hall is 127 meters long and has a total surface area of 23.000 square meters. The stands are flexible and telescopic allowing for flexibility in hall use & seating capacity. The arena can be configured with a large 330 m2 stage. It is proud to host this evening’s 116th edition of the Forum Song Contest. The Hosts Our lovely hosts this evening are Anita Skorgan, Kåre Conradi and Karoline Krüger. Anita Skorgan (born 1958) is a famous Norwegian singer, and songwriter over several decades. She is considered one of Norway’s finest artists. During a career, that has spanned more than 40 years, she has released 19 albums. She is, perhaps, best known for having been married to Jahn Teigen, Norway’s MGP-legend, and in the 1980's they were considered the first superstar celebrity couple in Norway. She has participated in MGP many times (well remembered for her 2nd place in MGP 1985 with the ballad ‘ Karma ’) , and 5 times in the ESC (incl . twice as a solo-artist & twice with Jahn Teigen). She also co-wrote the song ‘For vår jord’ for Karoline Krüger in ESC 1988 . Lately she has focused more on songwriting , Christmas concerts & low-key events. Kåre Conradi (born in 1972) is a well known Norwegian actor and theater-personality. He is a graduate of the Norwegian Theatre Academy and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He made his stage debut at Oslo Nye Teater in 1989, was employed at the National Theatre from 1995, and also had a stint at Trøndelag Teater. In 2016 he won an Hedda Award (a Norwegian theatre award, first awarded in 1998, named after the character "Hedda" from Ibsen's play ‘Hedda Gabler’) for best male actor. He has also played in several musicals including the role of Tony in ‘West Side Story’ and Higgins in ‘My Fair Lady’. He has also acted in many movies over the years. He is engaged to the retired Norwegian pop-singer Lene Marlin of earlier popstar fandom. Karoline Krüger (born 1970) is a Norwegian singer, actress and composer, perhaps best known internationally for having taken part for Norway in ESC 1988, with the song ‘For vår jord’ (written by Anita Skorgan), which ended a very good 5th. She released her first album later in 1988. Over the years she has released 8 albums, some pop style albums, some more theatrical/musical style efforts and some children’s albums. On the pop-side of things she is well remembered for having released the ballad ‘You Call It Love’, from the film ‘L'etudiante’, a song composed by the famous Vladimir Cosma. She married another well known Norwegian singer, Sigvart Dagsland, and in recent years they have performed many Christmas concerts together. Her other focus is the theatre. The Show * Belgium, Italy, Poland and Serbia failed to vote. They were all moved to the bottom of the scoreboard, while retaining their original points. The Results The Winner Avril Lavigne - Head above water: